Ties to the Ink
by timecats
Summary: It has been five years since her father, Henry Stein, disappeared. Now Cassidy Stein is determined to find her father by going to the last place she knew he was, Joey Drew Studios. She searches for clues about her dad's disappearance and hopes to find him. Henry has been stuck in this loop with his memories slowly fading and now his daughter might meet the same fate.
1. Falling

The studio stood before her, the door to answers tempting the young Cassidy Stein to turn the doorknob and enter. There was a part of her that wanted to turn back, but she had waited five years for answers without getting any.

This was her chance to find out what happened to her father, Henry Stein, five years prior. Cassidy knew her father received a letter from his old work partner, and her father went to see what he wanted.

The letter her uncle sent still was burned into Cassidy's mind. It seemed innocent enough on the surface, but it couldn't just be a coincidence right. It seems just too suspicious that Joey Drew would invite her father to the abandoned studio only for him to be declared missing, then dead.

_Dear Henry,_

_It seems like a lifetime since we've worked on cartoons together, thirty years really slips by doesn't it._

_If you're back in town. Come visit the old workshop. There's something I need to show you._

_Your Best Pal, Joey Drew_

Cassidy knew in her gut that the letter held the key to solving this mystery that plagued the fifteen-year-old's mind for so long. She needed answers, after all, she had nothing else to lose now.

After her younger sister, Elizabeth, died of cancer two years back and their mom, Linda, died in a car accident the teen was left with her only other relative, the man Cassidy blamed for her father's absence, Joey Drew.

After all, Cassidy knew exactly why her father left the studio those years ago; it was due to how Joey treated him. The man stole the credit for Bendy's creation right out of her father's palm, one of the many reasons the animator's daughter hated the man.

Drawing had always been her passion, ever since her father taught her how to draw by walking her through each step Henry would take to draw the dancing demon, Bendy. It was the reason she dreams of becoming an artist or animator.

_'Uncle Joey, if you did anything to my dad you will…'_ she wasn't the greatest at threats, the best she could do was imagine hitting the liar over the head with a book.

She turned her attention to the door that was in front of her, a part of her made her hesitate before she could turn the doorknob. It told her that no one could still be alive down there, five years without food or water would kill anyone. Cassidy pushed those thoughts away, she held onto her hope that her father might still be alive. This is what she wanted, and the teenager was sick of waiting for the answer to knock on her door one day.

With her goal in mind, Cassidy turned the doorknob and opened the door slowly. The once-great Joey Drew Studios was now in disrepair with weathered wooden walls and ink dripping from the ceiling onto the already flooded floor. The scent of ink permeated in her direction

She took a few more steps before the door shut behind her suddenly. In a panic Cassy turned around and tried to open it to no avail, the door was locked.

"Locked, well this is just great," Cassidy didn't even try to hide her sarcasm. There is no turning back from her goal now for sure, "Ahead it is then!"

"Alright Uncle Joey, what did you want my father to see?" Cassidy asked out loud.

She spent a few moments staring at the posters and smiled, the two nearest to her were ones her father worked on. They would watch the cartoons together as a family, Henry would put them on whenever Liz wasn't in the hospital to bring a smile to her face or would tell Cassidy about the process of creating an animation. The nostalgia hit her hard as tears left her eyes and mixed with the ink at her feet. Her father taught her how to draw, the reason she dreamed of becoming an animator.

She took a few more steps before encountering a gaping hole in the ground with ink dripping down it. There seemed to be no way around it other than to jump over, not something that thrilled the young artist. She took off her backpack and pulled out a pencil and dropped it into the hole and counted how long it took to reach the ground, _'1, 2, 3,'_ splat, three seconds deep.

"I am glad I didn't slip there, that would have resulted badly," the teen told herself. Her only options were to stay in the small space she was in or jump over the hole. Cassidy chose to risk it; she wouldn't achieve anything if she stayed in there after all.

She backed up a bit to give herself a running start, she ran as fast as she could with the ink slowing her down and slipped right before reaching the hole. She attempted to catch herself, but her grip was too weak and so she fell down the gaping hole.

Cassidy closed her eyes and screamed, _'I'm going to fall, I'm going to die!'_

She braced for impact, knowing her chances of survival were likely slim. Heck, the chances of coming out unscathed were even slimmer. This was why Cassidy was shocked to still be alive when she hit an ink-stained wooden floor. Her body hurt, yes, but nothing seemed to be broken and she was alive. Her breathing was still rapid as she struggled to catch her breath, and her heart still raced from the fall. Taking deep breaths, she got her breathing to return to normal even though her heart still raced and stood up with the help of a nearby wall. Cassidy took a moment to observe her surroundings and figure out where she was.

The wooden wall she used to support her was stained with ink, and there were boards ceiling up a hole in the wall to her left. A valve pipe was attached to the opposite wall to her, she couldn't tell if they were painted black or were filled with ink. She wouldn't be surprised if those pipes were filled with ink, there was enough here to supply the whole world with an artist's tool of the trade.

Ink dripped from the hole she fell from; one drop fell on her glasses leaving a stain on its edge. Cassidy sighed deeply as she wiped the cold liquid off the lenses of her glasses before placing the frame back onto her nose.

A strand of black hair obscured a part of her vision and she swept it back behind her ears, perhaps she should have pulled her hair back before she went inside. The long black hair was tangled and messy from the fall, dripping ink from its split ends.

"This place is falling apart from its seams, perhaps this was a mistake…" Cassidy told herself as she held her arms tightly. She was lost, no it was worse than that, she was scared, "I just wanted to find out what happened to dad."

She was only ten when Henry disappeared, ever since her life has been a living nightmare. Her sister who had been fighting leukemia died a few years back, Liz was only six and had so much to look forward to only to have Death claim her. Elizabeth was her only friend as well as her little sister, Cassidy felt that she failed as a big sister when Liz left the world.

Things got worse from there, but Cassidy refused to dwell on it further. She needed to find a way out of this place, and she didn't see any other way but through the stairway behind her. The only supplies she had on her was those in her backpack and satchel. Her backpack only had a few books, notebooks, and sketchbooks along with some art supplies while her satchel contained a pocketknife, a first aid kit, a flashlight with extra batteries, and a bottle of water. She wasn't planning on staying there for more than a couple of hours, now she feared a couple of hours may now be a couple of days to weeks. Despite this, she pressed forward, she had to know what happened.

She turned to her right and caught sight of a dusty wooden shelf with an old cassette player on one of its shelves. Curious, Cassidy made her way towards the audio log and pressed play.

_It's dark and it's cold and it's stuck in behind every single wall now. In some places, I swear this godforsaken ink is clear up to my knees! Who ever thought that these crummy pipes could hold up under this kind of strain either knows something about pressure I don't, or he's some kind of idiot._

_But the real worst part about all this.. are them noises the system makes. Like a dying dog on its last legs. Make no mistake, this place... this... machine... heck, this whole darn thing... it just isn't natural._

_You can bet, I won't be doing any more repair jobs for Mister Joey Drew._

An Ink Machine? Her father never mentioned that! Who would even need that much ink anyways and for what purpose? That must be what the pipes she saw earlier contained, they transported ink. That mechanic was right about the pressure since ink-stained every nook and cranny of the room she was in.

There was debris blocking the only other pathway that Cassidy wouldn't be able to move, so the stairway seemed to be her only option. She headed down two flights of stairs before finding herself in a mostly empty room with two doors.

"How deep does this place go," Cassidy asked in annoyance.

She opened one of the doors and left the door open. There was one other door to try to open, her hand attempted to turn the knob.

"An ax might be able to get this open," Cassidy considered the option, "or perhaps I can use a tool from my pocketknife to pick the lock."

The last option was the best shot in her mind, she pulled the tool from the front pocket of her satchel and chose to use the screwdriver to unscrew the knob. Once the deed was done she had four screws in her hand and a doorknob placed on the floor.

The door now opened easily, revealing a shelf full of bacon soup and papers. The bacon soup displayed the studio's mascot, she grabbed one to read its contents. The expiration date made her put the can back on the shelf, December 14th, 1987.

_'Maybe I should have left this locked…ewe who would even eat this stuff anyways,'_ Cassidy thought as she closed the door back up, leaving the screws and doorknob behind to enter the other room.

She shook off as much ink from her body as she could before she entered the next room. There was a table near the entrance with a mug next to an open toolbox, the toolbox was empty to her disappointment. She looked over to her left and read a cryptic message that someone left on the wall.

**THE CREATOR LIED TO US**

A chill went down the artist's spine, something told her that there was something sinister hidden in that message. There was a hallway nearby with bits of chopped wood scattered across the floor, it seemed to be the only way forward, so she went through and found herself in front of another door. _'This one isn't locked, thank goodness!'_

When she opened the door, she was greeted by room with creepy décor, but the ritual circle drawn in the center of the room was what sent another violent chill down Cassidy's spine. Candles surrounded the ritual circle, and with the coffins in the background, there was only one explanation that Cassy could think of, human sacrifice.

Cassidy took a step into the room and a wave of pain hit her like a blast of wind. Her head pounded faster as she struggled to walk towards the door she saw.

Images flashed in her mind with each step she took, the first being what she presumed was the ink machine, the second was her father reaching out for something in a dark abyss, and the last one was some twisted version of Bendy. The pain grew unbearable when she took her last step, a step in the center of the circle.

She fell to the ground with a light thud, her eyes catching a door opening slowly before slipping into unconsciousness.

"Sheep, sheep, sheep, it's time for sleep."


	2. The 414th Loop

Henry lost count of how many times he's been through this, the times he died only to find himself in a different part of the studio. He was certain he could save Boris only to fail once again and die to the twisted version that Alice turned him into.

His left hand felt cold and numb as he woke to find himself brought back to the Bendy Statue next to the door that led to the Music Department.

"414th times the charm, right?" the animator told himself reassuringly.

The man's memory grew foggier each time he repeated this nightmare. At this point, he only could remember bits and pieces of his life outside the studio as well as his name, Henry Stein. Soon even those might be gone, leaving only his personality and name.

_'I need to drain the stairway,'_ Henry reminded himself, _'But there is plenty of time to check to see if there are any new messages from myself, or even calm my nerves.'_

He had no memory of writing the messages, but he had the feeling he was the one who made the unseen yellow words in ink. He also found himself forgetting that he even had the lens until this loop. The messages he found didn't help him with his situation. Sure, he now knew why he felt inclined to put a tally on the entrance wall, but he still had unanswered questions.

A scream pulled him out of his thoughts, _'I don't think that has ever happened before. Has something changed at last?'_

The creator ran towards the scream that echoed off the walls of Joey Drew Studios. He never encountered this before, and if this wasn't a sign that things could change then he didn't know what was.

Henry ran as fast as he would whenever the ink demon went after him, whoever the scream came from might be in trouble. The ink flooded hallway did slow him down a bit, but even though the cold thick liquid he ran faster than usual.

The source was close, he could now hear someone heavily breathing as if they were in pain.

"To think someone screaming would give me back my hope, we can finally be…" he caught his words as he realized he was about to say 'free'.

* * *

Sammy poked at the young girl in the center of the circle, he now had a dilemma. Which sheep to sacrifice first to his savior?

"Little Sheep, little sheep, it's time for sleep," he spoke softly to the sleeping human he watched carefully. He wouldn't let this one getaway, the last one slipped his grasp after all. His lord would be pleased to have two perfect sheep given to him, "In the morning you will wake, or in the morning you will be dead."

All he had to do was finish the ritual by summoning his Lord, the great Ink Demon before the ink consumed the two sheep. He already looked through the girl's journal, she was looking for her father who came here and never returned home. None of that would matter in the end, just like everyone else the two will forget their past lives.

"Hello, is someone in there?" it was the other sheep, it aggravated the Prophet to leave the Little Lamb, but he needed some way to get them both wrapped in his Lord's inky web.

_'My Lord, you will be given these two sheep,'_ the inky man prayed, 'for only you can set us free.'

He wrote a message in the girl's notebook; they will come to him and all he would have to do is wait. He headed towards the nearest puddle of ink to return to his safe room.

* * *

Henry's run halted into a slow walk as he approached the room he woke up in after falling god knows how many stories down here. He opened the door with caution, the scream could be a trap set for him to trip.

"Hello, is someone in there?"

The door was left open behind him, the animator wasn't getting to risk the door closing behind him. Taking a few steps, Henry looked around the room looking for anything that changed, and his gaze met the young girl in the center of the ritual circle.

The girl was small and petite, her skin a peachy tone and her long black hair splayed about around her head on the floor. She wore a blue t-shirt and grey sweatpants with no shoes.

The girl reminded him of someone, yet Henry couldn't recall the person's name. He felt that he should know the kid better than anyone, there was this strong bond that was present in the animator towards the child.

'Cassidy,' the name came to him all the sudden. The name seemed to fit in his mind, yet there was this feeling of dread with this 'Cassidy' being here.

Panic flowed through the animator's mind as he struggled to remember more. Seeing Cassidy here worried the animator, but he couldn't quite figure out why.

_'She has to be alright, come on wake-up Cassy!'_ he shook the girl gently hoping to wake them.

The girl didn't respond to Henry's attempt to wake her up. He placed his left hand on her chest only to flinch back in horror and relief. Cassidy's breaths were shallow, she was alive which was what relieved the former studio employee.

The horror the animator felt was with the state of his left hand, the cold feeling in his hand not being his imagination as he hoped it was. The hand now had only four fingers and what looked like a white cartoon glove attached to it. He tried to pull it off only to feel a sharp pain in his wrist, the glove was his hand it seemed.

There was a bag next near Cassidy that was opened with a notebook on the ground nearby. He picked the leather-bound notebook up out of curiosity to see if it had a clue to the girl's connection to him. He turned to the first page and his heart skipped a beat at what he read.

_If found return to_

_Cassidy Alice Stein_

It was his daughter, his little Cassy who was now just as trapped as the rest of them.

Memories flooded his mind as he recalled his first-born child. Cassidy shared his talent for drawing as well as the passion, it was the girl's way of expressing herself without words.

"Joey, wasn't trapping me in this dammed loop enough?" he asked, "Why would you bring my daughter into this?"

Henry asked for a change in the hellish cycle he had been reliving, but he didn't want this!

His daughter seemed to have been looking for him, notes written on pages about the connection between his meeting with Joey and Henry's disappearance. The animator's daughter also connected the missing employees to Joey, a note even referenced a letter that Joey had pinned to his board from Thomas and Allison Conner.

_'Cassidy, I am so sorry,'_ Henry said as he turned another page.

_Answers don't come knocking on your door, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I hope Joey never finds this notebook since I know the bastard will lie his way out of anything._

_When he said my dad was dead, I didn't believe him, and I still refuse to listen to a single word that man I am unfortunate enough to call my uncle says. Joey, once I find out what your hiding, I am hitting you over the head with the heaviest book I have I swear._

_I am going to Joey Drew Studios tomorrow morning before that man wakes up. The answers I am looking for must be there, and I hope I find my father as well._

The rest of the page was stained with ink and therefore indecipherable, he still didn't know who to put the fault on, his daughter or Joey for her appearance at the studio. Henry turned another page to see a message written in ink, a message that made the father's worry rise.

**LITTLE LAMB LOOKING FOR A LOST SHEEP?**

It was written by Sammy Lawrence for sure. That was the only person Henry has heard use that sort of language. Henry hoped he got here before that madman could do anything to Cassy.

_'She's grown a lot since I saw her last, I think…'_ his memories were still foggy. He recalled giving Cassidy her first sketchbook and giving her an art lesson when his daughter was younger.

_"Don't put too much pressure on the paper," Henry told the young Cassidy, "The harder you press the more difficult it is to erase any mistakes."_

_The child nodded, she was only four and still hasn't spoken a word. She could understand others perfectly and was a better reader than most kids her age. Linda was starting to worry about their firstborn since she spent most of her time reading or observing her surroundings or reading._

_Henry got Cassidy a sketchbook after the doctor told them that she would not be like other kids. She was diagnosed with Autism and Linda didn't know what to do and the doctor told them that there are places for 'her kind'._

_The doctor's suggestion made Henry sick; the animator would not put his child in those places. He saw the news; the ADA was close to being passed and he strongly agreed with their movement. His daughter will be able to live independently, and Linda agreed with him._

_Their child continued to listen to their father's instructions, she was a natural artist and took after Henry for sure. He taught her how to draw…and it came out…He was proud of her…_

He couldn't remember further, there were too many areas where he couldn't even recall what Cassidy looked like. In fact, what did his wife look like?

He stared down at his hands, one still retaining its flesh while the other a white inky glove. The ink was slowly claiming his left arm starting from his hand, replacing skin and bone with the cold liquid.

"What is happening to me?"


	3. Reunion

Her eyes opened to a dark swirling abyss; her body felt cold as hands reached out at her. There were voices screaming into her head, beckoning the teen to close her eyes. The artist refused to rest; the noise was similar to the parties that people would drag her to against her will.

Cassidy wanted to cover her ears and cry; it was too much noise for the young artist. She couldn't hear herself think, she had no clue about where she was. She wanted the screams to quiet down, even if it was for just a moment so she could collect her thoughts.

**HE WILL SET US FREE**

**THE CREATOR LIED TO US**

**ITS TIME TO BELIEVE**

**CA**ss**I**d**Y**!

The last voice was faint, but it was one Cass could never forget, 'Dad, are you there,' she tried to speak, but it was almost like some foul substance prevented her from getting the words out, _'Am I dead, was I just running on adrenaline earlier?'_

CASSIDY SNAP OUT OF IT!

Cassidy opened her eyes again to be greeted by a man shaking her.

The room was blurry, and the man's face was difficult to see through the fogginess she saw. Was she still in the studio?

Her glasses, where were they? She couldn't see well with her near-sighted vision without her prescription lenses, without them, the world becomes a fog of colors and shapes that mix with each other.

The man seemed to notice and picked up an item from the floor and handed it to the artist. On closer inspection, she saw that it was her glasses and she took them from her the man's hands.

She put her glasses on, taking a breath of relief as her vision sharpened. Cassidy turned to the man who helped her and finally saw who it was.

Black hair with grey streaks along with the white dress shirt that haunted her from the day she lost him. Tears fell from her eyes as she recognized her father's face.

"Dad?" Cassidy asked carefully, she was glad that she could speak again.

For a moment she worried that she might have been wrong, making an awkward situation for both of them after the few seconds of silence that occurred.

"Cassidy Alice Stein, what the hell were you thinking!" Henry's voice scolded, "Did Joey trick you into going here?"

Cassidy was shocked by the accusation, "What…NO! I came here to find out why you disappeared AND get away from your brother."

"When Linda finds out she…" Henry told her before Cassidy broke up into more tears. Her hands covered her face, she would have to break it to her own father. She had to tell him that her mom and sister were dead, he had the right to know.

"Dad…Mom and Elizabeth…they…" she choked on her words, it pained her to admit they were gone, "Liz died of cancer two years ago and Mom was killed in a car accident."

Her father's face went from anger to grief in a matter of seconds. Henry went up to her and wrapped his arms around Cassy into a hug. She felt something squishy but decided not to dwell on it. She missed her father, and it didn't matter to her that he was missing for five years of her life. Cassidy never realized how alone she felt, starving for affection. Returning the favor, she hugged the man she had been missing for five years.

"Cassy, there is so much I need to tell you," the animator said softly to her, "but for now, know I never stopped trying to come home."

There was a fear in her dad's voice, Cassidy released her father and attempted to get up before another voice caused the artist to fall back onto the ground.

"The sheep led a little lamb to the flock," Cassidy searched for the source of the voice, "Little lamb, do you hear his call?"

Henry gestured to Cass, instructing her to hide behind him. She looked up at her father, seeing his panic, "Dad, what is he talking about?"

"Stay behind me Cassidy," Henry said, "I will explain later."

Cassidy wanted to object, but Henry covered her mouth with his hand. Cassidy looked down at the cold hand covering her mouth and her heart dropped. Pulling away from him and taking ahold of the animator's left arm. The hand was missing its pinkie finger and the rest of the hand resembled a rubberhose style white-gloved hand like Bendy or Boris. She continued to look up the arm, seeing ink reaching up to her dad's elbows.

Henry's expression shared his daughter's confusion. After Cassidy released the animator's arm, he stared at it in horror. Cassy wanted to comfort her father; she couldn't stand seeing him like this.

"I…I won't ask," Cassidy promised, "You can tell me when you feel ready…I will do the same."

There were still things she needed to tell her father, how her life has been a living nightmare after he left. She thought back to the screaming well of voices, 'I have a sinking feeling that wasn't a nightmare, there is something strange going on here.'

"Cass, we should get going," the animator said, "Stay close, and play any tapes you come across."

"So, there are more."

Her father nodded, "I also suggest you have something to use as a weapon."

Cassidy dug into her satchel and produced her pocket knife, "Will this work?"

"That should do better than nothing," Henry commented. She nodded and put it back in the brown bag that was draped across her shoulder. She decided to leave her backpack here, she only would need a sketchbook, notebook, and a few pencils to use from it anyways.

"Uh, where is my notebook?"

"It's not a journal?"

"It's the notebook I've been keeping track of any clues I come across," Cassidy explained, "There isn't much in there, just a few notes and scribbles."

Henry handed her the leather-bound book and she promptly put it into her satchel before putting the strap over her shoulders.

Henry led Cassidy into the next room that had similar décor to the last, mainly the ritual candles that made her want to vomit. Life in Cassidy's eyes was precious, irreplaceable even, the thought of people sacrificing human lives disturbed her greatly.

The candles also should be a major fire hazard and so she attempted to blow them out, no luck. Her father seemed amused by her attempts to burn a nearby paper, "They won't burn out or even blow out, I also tried that."

She rolled her eyes as a small smile grew on her face, _'I guess they don't burn things either, they are just producing light,'_ she told herself as she folded up the paper and stashed in her bag. It may be of use later after all to her.

She exerted a sigh of relief knowing that they wouldn't need to worry about burning to death due to lack of fire concern. She continued to look around the hallway and spotted another tape recorder and went over to play it.

It was the voice from earlier, the one that sent chills down her spine whenever she heard it.

_He appears from the shadows to rain his sweet blessings upon me. The figure of ink that shines in the darkness. I see you, my savior. I pray you hear me._

_Those old songs, yes, I still sing them. For I know you are coming to save me. And I will be swept into your final loving embrace. _

_But, love requires sacrifice._

_Can I get an amen?_

She wanted to vomit, what the hell did Joey do to these people. Did he do the same thing to her dad?

_'Will the same thing happen to me?'_


	4. Crimes of a Brother

Henry observed his daughter's actions, surprised at how well she was taking this at first. Honestly, Henry wasn't taking his recent developments very well. He lost his other pinkie shortly after Cassidy played Sammy's tape and now white ink replaced the flesh at the tips of his fingers on his right hand.

Currently, the animator's daughter was holding herself tightly. Henry instinctively gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder and told her to take a deep breath. He grabbed a nearby sheet of paper and handed it to her. The teen took the paper and started drawing with a pencil from her satchel.

Henry looked over Cassy's shoulder to see what she was drawing, delighted to see she was drawing a cat in the style of the cartoons he used to work on. The action seemed to calm his daughter down since she smiled after she finished her work.

"Thanks, dad, I needed that," the smile seemed a bit forced, but Henry could tell that the teen calmed down a bit. He was glad she was here, even if he couldn't remember much about her other than a few foggy details. She had grown quite a bit, but Cassidy would always be his little angel. When Linda gave birth, she chose their newborn's first name, Cassidy, and Henry gave his child her middle name of Alice. Her name was a reminder of the last character he created, Alice Angel.

Cass was his little angel; she didn't deserve to be down here in this hellhole created by Joey. He had to tell her about the dangers and the loops, but he feared how she would react to the things he was forced to do.

They were in the Music Department, they stopped there so that Cassidy could listen to the next tape. He knew he would have to tell her who the voice belonged to when she pressed play. Sammy talked about how he was annoyed with the distractions made from the ink machine, to think that man would become the same Sammy who would try to sacrifice Henry to the Ink Demon.

Once the tape was done, Henry led her to the Projection room where the tape commented on Sammy's peculiar behavior.

"Dad, can I ask something about the people in the tapes?" Cassidy asked afterward. She didn't look at him, instead was observing the projector nearby and trying to turn it on.

"The tape you just listened to was recorded by Norman Polk, I didn't know him well since…he kind of stalked everyone," Henry explained, "He would know more about you than people would him."

Cassidy nodded and took out her notebook, she wrote something down before putting it back in her bag.

_'Only if she knew how useful that can be,'_ Henry looked to where the looking glass is, _'Especially if the loop repeats again, it will serve her well to remind her about things.'_

The father led her back down to the Music Department sign, she played Sammy's tape again and took another set of notes in her book.

"Dad, this tape was recorded by Sammy, right?" she asked. Henry didn't understand how she concluded that until she pointed to a nameplate, "I didn't notice earlier, but these tapes have the names of who recorded them."

Henry nodded, "Sammy was the music director, but I have to warn you about him," perhaps he could tell her these as they came along, "He is…"

"The same guy from the tape in the hallway, I kind of guessed they were the same person," Cassidy interrupted, "I get chills each time I hear that voice."

"So…how old are you now?" he changed the subject.

"I turned 15 a few months ago, my fifth birthday where you weren't there," Cassidy told him silently, "I…I at first thought that if I did find you here I would be angry, now I…I think I know why you haven't returned home. You don't know the way out of here, do you?"

The animator laughed nervously, "Kind of like that."

"Then let's find a way together! Two is better than one after all," Cassidy smiled as she offered her hand to him. Henry smiled as he took her hand with his inky one, "Let's do this dad!"

Henry nodded, he walked over towards the stairwell and hovered his hand over the lever before he remembered what will happen once it is pulled, "Cassidy, you should pull out your multitool and stay near me.

Cassidy pulled her tool out and put it into knife mode and held it in her hand tightly. The young artist moved a few strands of black hair from her face before heading towards her father. Henry sighed, he felt guilty for not telling her about what would appear when he pulled the lever.

Would she even believe him, sure she has seen the condition of his hands and arms, but searchers made of ink (who may or may not have once been an actual person) was a different matter.

He sighed as he pulled the lever and turned around to see Cassidy being attacked by a searcher. Henry rushed to her aid, ax at ready to send the searchers back into their ink puddles. Once he got to her however, she already had sent two of them back.

"What the actual fuck are these things?" Cassidy yelled as one bit her leg. Henry had to be careful to not accidentally hurt his daughter when he swung his ax and sent the creature to the ink.

"Searchers," Henry answered, swinging at the three searchers that were attacking them. The last one had their attention focused on Cassidy who was holding her arm with a pained look. Henry put himself between the searcher and the teenager as he made one last swing with his ax, the searcher melted back into the ink leaving the two in the room.

"Ok, that is it!" Cassidy yelled, "I am not waiting any longer for you to explain what is going on here!"

She limped over to Henry, he saw her ankle was swollen and ink from the searchers covered her leg. Something dark was dripping from her injured arm, she was in worse condition than he was in. The injuries Henry obtained seemed to be gone, though the spots felt cold and numb.

"Dad, I need to know please," Cassidy pleaded, "I…"

Cassidy let go of her arm, revealing a gash that was dripping ink with traces of blood. Henry covered his mouth; this was what he didn't want to happen. It was strange to Henry at first that he healed so quickly, now seeing the gash slowly close on its own made him realize why.

"I will tell you, but it's a long story."

* * *

_It all started at Joey's house, once I got the letter, I decided to pay him a visit first. If only I understood what he meant when he said "The truth is, you were always good at pushing, pushing me to do the right thing. You should have pushed me a little harder."_

_Maybe we wouldn't be in this mess, I would still be with our family then. Once I was in the studio the door closed behind me, and I looked for what my half-brother wanted to show me. I raised the ink machine and went to turn it on._

_I saw some…horrifying things along the way; a Boris with its chest ripped open with a wrench inside, (I had to take that wrench out of its chest in order to turn the machine on). I had to put a wrench, a music disk, Joey's book called The Illusion of Living, an ink bottle, and a gear onto a pedestal and raise the ink pressure._

_Once the machine was on, the lights went out, but I didn't think anything of it. So, I went to see what the Ink Machine does, and the room was boarded up. Once I approached it a twisted version of Bendy reached out to grab me and I ran, the floor gave out before I could even reach the exit._

_I fell, I still, don't understand how I survived each time without a scratch. The room was flooded with ink and I had to drain the ink from the rooms before I was in the room you woke up in. I saw some things before I fell in the center of the circle and heard the well of voices._

"So that wasn't a nightmare" Cassidy asked.

_No, it wasn't, but I wish it was just a nightmare. You know a bit of what is next, except you weren't here, I have been stuck in a loop where I end up back at the start after I play the End. _

_This is the 414th loop, and each loop I forget more and more about who I am. It is a miracle that I even can remember as much as I do about you, but I am afraid the next loop I won't even remember my own daughter. I even forgot you had a sister._

_What happened next is…_

"Dad, just tell me the important things I need to know," her voice was faint, "The fact you didn't tell me says that something terrible happened, and I might be reckless and get myself hurt if you tell me. Especially if someone gets hurt."

Henry looked at his daughter in surprise, "Are you sure?"

She nodded; the cartoonist understood her entirely since he tried to save Boris multiple times. He even tried to get Sammy or Susie to listen to him, it never seemed to work.

Joey wanted to bring Bendy to life, and he learned that in order to not be like the ink demon, who was his first attempt, he had to give them a soul. He used the ink machine and used his employees as test subjects, he fucking disregarded their lives.

He turned Susie and Allison into Alice Angel, Thomas and Wally into Boris, Norman became what people call the Projectionist, and Sammy now thinks he is the Ink Demon's prophet. From what I have seen the others became lost ones, searchers, or part of the Butcher Gang. When people die, they go through that screaming well of voices and reform.

"Those…those searchers used to be people!" Cassidy looked horrified, "I…I killed…I…"

She fell to the floor and held her head sobbing

"There is nothing for us to do to help them right now," Henry told his daughter, "With the ink consuming me, I don't know if there is anything you can do."

"When I was bleeding, there was ink coming from the wound," she said, "Is the ink going to affect me too?"

"It took 414 loops for it to start affecting me, but it may have been the loop delaying it," Henry admitted. The areas where he was injured by the searchers the flesh was replaced by the ink and started to spread there as well, "We should find a way out before it does anything to you."

* * *

"Where is she," Joey asked himself, Cassidy was supposed to move in with him the day before, as much as the former owner of Bendy was irritated by the girl's hatred of him, she was his niece.

"Cassidy, if you did what you think you've done," Joey gritted his teeth. He knew that she was looking for her father, and if she found out about what he did then, _'She already hated me, never shy to admit it when Liz wasn't there.'_

If she was in the studio, then he just needed to check on Henry. He was able to keep track of every room of the studio. The ink machine in his house was his way of knowing where and when Henry was at that moment. All he had to do was put a piece of paper under the ink and he would always be able to keep an eye on him.

The image rippled and he was greeted with a long-awaited sight, Joey could tell Henry was finally becoming his perfect Bendy. Henry was the only one fit since his brother made the dancing demon. There was someone else with him, and Joey Drew didn't care that his niece would now be stuck in there.

Joey would have trapped his half-brother's daughter there if she got any closer to the truth anyway. It would be so easy to make an excuse for her disappearance with Linda and Elizabeth dead. Now she is there on her whim, and Joey had no problem with his niece being trapped there.

"Cassidy Alice Stein let's just say no hard feelings," the man whispered with a smirk on his face, "You hated me, and I was never fond of you either Cassy."

_'I wonder what the ink will do to her?'_


	5. The Accountant in the Organ

The further she went through the hallway, the more her ankle hurt. She sprained it when she tried to get a searcher to let go of her leg; the ankle had swollen a bit afterward. The artist limped and used the walls as support when she grew tired of the pain.

Henry seemed to notice her predicament, "Cassy? I thought you said that your ankle was fine."

"It's okay, it isn't that hard to walk on it," Cassidy lied, it was excruciating when she put pressure on it. She would clench her teeth to keep herself from screaming bloody murder when it hurt.

"That's it, you need to rest," her father ordered as he came to my uninjured side, "Do not put that foot down in the meantime."

Cassidy groaned; she didn't want to hang back while her father was looking for a way out of this place. Henry was currently supporting her as they approached the office of Sammy Lawrence and Henry sat her down on a nearby crate before checking out the pool of ink in the corner of the room.

"Well, there's the pump switch alright. But that's one hell of a leak blocking the door though," Henry said, "If we could just stop that ink from flowing maybe we can get in."

Cassidy's ankle still felt as if it was on fire, she had to admit that she was in no condition to walk long distances at this point. The swelling had gone down a bit since she wasn't putting pressure on her foot anymore.

"Cassidy, with Sammy around I, can't leave you here alone," Henry conveyed, "Has the swelling gone down?"

The artist nodded, she adjusted her position on the crate before she replied, "It still hurts, I just didn't want to worry you."

The animator sighed and put a white-gloved hand on her shoulder, "You're my daughter, I can't help but worry about you, it's my job as a father."

Cassidy looked at the area with the ink flow, she could determine that there was a door in that direction and could also spot a tape player in that direction. Henry was attempting to reach the tape with a bit of struggle, Cassidy couldn't help but make a smile as her father tried to press the play button.

"This…usually…is not a problem for me," her dad strained to say as he stretched his arms as far as they would go, "Also where are my elbows?"

The animator's arms were bent like elbow pasta, a curve that can resemble a semicircle or smile. There wasn't a sign of her father's elbows even being there, they now bent like noodles instead. Henry was right about the arms being shorter, they no longer went to the thighs when he put the ink-covered limbs to his sides.

The pain in Cass's ankle was no longer present after a short bit and she decided to try standing. She might be able to reach the tape player easier; she wasn't as tall as her dad, but she could try her best.

She took one step and put a slight amount of pressure on her right foot, glad that she didn't feel the pain from earlier as she took another step. She still had a slight limp, but it was manageable since there wasn't any severe pain.

After a couple more steps she got back into the rhythm of walking and made her way towards her father. Henry stepped aside as Cassidy leaned over to press the play button.

_So I go to get my dustpan from the hall closet the other day and guess what? I can't find my stupid keys. It's like they disappeared into thin air or something._

_All I can think of is that they must have fallen in one of the garbage cans as I was making my rounds last week._

_I just hope nobody tells Sammy. Because if he finds out I lost my keys again, I'm outta here._

"Those keys must be important right?" Cassidy asked her father, "You were really trying to reach the tape with your noodle arms."

She chuckled at her own joke, Henry made a small smile before he looked back at ink spill and frowned, "We need to find Wally's keys to get into the closet over there."

"Let's dig through some trash bins then!" Cassidy responded.

The animator nodded, "Are you sure you can walk right now?"

"Yes, it doesn't hurt anymore, and it was just a sprain," Cassidy shrugged it off, "There are worse injuries than that."

Henry and Cassidy continued back to the music department until Cassidy opened a door that she was surprised opened. Inside was an organ, and Cassidy went to press one of the keys and could hear that the instrument was off-key.

Groan

"What the fuc…fudge!" Cassidy exclaimed, "Some…someone is in there!"

Cassidy took her father's ax and closed her eyes as she swung at the pipes. Ink splattered everywhere in the room and another groan was heard.

It was another ink creature, but it didn't attack them like the ones from earlier did. It instead made a few gestures to Cassidy and grabbed her leg gently. The searcher wore an ink-stained necktie around its neck and a watch on one of the arms that were attached to the ground

"Poor guy, he must have been stuck in there for a while," Cassidy commented, "Can he come with us?"

"Grant?" Henry asked, the creature made a few gestures towards Henry before making another groan and nodded, "I guess he can come with us."

The creature made a few more groans before "Grant" went to the nearest wall and started hit his head on it. Cassidy rushed towards it to get the searcher to stop banging its head on the wall. She took an empty sketchbook out of her bag and handed it to the searcher who pulled one of its arms out of the floor and began to write in ink.

**Who are you?**

Grant gestured to Cassidy, "I am Cassidy, Cassidy Stein. This is my father, Henry."

**Henry…the name rings a bell. Not Joey?**

Cassidy showed her father the message, Henry looked it over for a moment before he responded, "No, I am not Joey, but I will punch him when I see him again."

"I'm sure there is a long line of people who want to do that," the animator's daughter remarked, "I am still waiting for my chance to give him a book to the head."

Cassidy returned the book to her bag and turned to the ink creature, "If you need to say anything you can tap me and I will hand the sketchbook to you, welcome to the party Grant!"

Grant made a higher-pitched tone, which Cassidy assumed was a happy response to her words. The being followed close to Cassidy but would steer clear of her father for some odd reason.

Once they were back in the Music Department, Cassidy and Henry searched the trash bins that were in the area before Cassidy went to a room with a stage and musical instruments scattered about. She found another tape with a label with Susie Campbell on it. She played the tape and listened to what the former voice actress for Alice had to say.

_It may only be my second month working for Joey Drew, but I can already tell I'm gonna love it here!_

_People really seem to enjoy my Alice Angel voice. Sammy says she may be as popular as Bendy some day._

_These past few weeks I have voiced everything from talking chairs to dancing chickens. But this is the first character I really felt a connection with. Like she's a part of me._

_Alice and I, we are going places._

Grant growled at the voice and tapped Cassidy's leg to ask for the paper. Cassidy handed the sketchbook to the searcher who began to write a disturbing message.

**Do not trust the Angel**

The creature handed the book back to Cass before her father came in panting, "Banjo…piano…violin…banjo."

"Um, Dad what are you trying to say?"

"To get to the first pump we have to play the banjo first then we play the piano and violin with the final being the banjo," Henry exclaimed when he caught his breath, "Play those when I turn the projector on."

"Um…okay sure, I just have to play the banjo piano violin and the banjo again," she was kind of weirded out by the lack of logic for unlocking a room but decided to roll with it. Henry ran up to the projector room and turned the projector on, Cassidy played each instrument in order and heard a click.

A door opened on the other side of the room and Cassidy and Grant waited for Henry to come down. It took the artist's father a few minutes and Cassidy bit her tongue to not mention that Henry was now shorter than the last time they saw each other. Henry already seemed to know about it since he had to look up a bit to look at his daughter.

"Well, that was more treble than it was worth," Cassidy joked nervously, Grant groaned in annoyance and Henry rolled his eyes at the pun.

In the room, there was another pentagram on the floor and a message on the wall that was talking about singing a jolly tune. There were a few cellos lined against the walls as well.

The further they went into the room; the more whispers were present. Cassidy covered her ears to lessen the effect that could cause her a sensory overload.

**HE WILL SET US FREE**

**NOT MONSTERS**

**THE CREATOR LIED TO US**

She stumbled back a bit, overwhelmed by the voices overlapping each other. She had trouble hearing herself think until an inky tap got her to focus her attention elsewhere.

Grant was tapping her, and Cassidy gave him the paper with her shaking hands.

**Don't Focus on the Whispers**

"Thank Grant, you're a lifesaver."

"One down," Henry said after he turned the valve. The man turned around and put a hand on her arm after failing to reach her shoulder, "Let's get out of this room, and stay on guard."

Cassidy had a feeling she knew what that meant, more searchers would come to attack them. She had the pocketknife in her pocket, so she grabbed for it, Grant seemed to notice and stepped back with a groan. He didn't want to fight the other searchers, Cassidy let him stay back until the coast was clear.

Cassidy jumped when a Bendy cutout appeared at the end of the hall, "What the fudge, who's the wise guy who thought that would be funny!"

"You kind of get used to it, it seems like they move on their own at times," Henry remarked.

Once they emerged into the music room and Cassidy noticed an inky human figure wearing a Bendy mask in the balcony. She stepped closer to her father when the being looked right at her, the gaze of the Bendy mask seemed to gaze into her soul which unnerved the young artist.

They took another step and a couple of searchers appeared and attacked them; Cassidy swung her knife at the one closest to her before piercing the sharp tool into another. Henry was doing better at fighting than she was, her father used that ax like it was just another form of art. Her father had been down here longer than she has, so it made sense he knew exactly what to do when he encountered these things.

Cassidy took out another pair and things seemed to quiet down, she signaled to Grant that it was safe to come out of the room and he went back to Cassidy's side.

They went a bit further until another searcher appeared and caught her off guard, Grant put himself in front of the searcher and pushed it down into the ink with a groan.

It took a second to process what was happening before her, Grant saved her life and now she couldn't see him. He melted into the inky puddle slowly and groaned for the last time after tackling the searcher that was about to attack her.

"GRANT!" Henry yelled, "Cassidy, did Grant just…"

She nodded, tears flowing from her eyes as she fully understood what just happened. The ink creature that had been by her side, even if it was for a short amount of time, sacrificed itself to save her.

"There were more searchers this time than the other cycles," her father commented, "I didn't expect there to be one last one right in the doorway."

"Liz, Mom, and now Grant," Cassidy asked as she held her legs close, "Haven't I seen enough death in my life."

_ 'Why am I always left to be alone?'_ she questioned herself. Henry's arms wrapped his daughter in a reassuring hug until Cass's tears dried.

"Cassy, death is a part of life that comes whether we like it or not," her father said.

"I know that!" Cassidy snapped and Henry took a step back, she collected herself by taking a deep breath, "I know that, but it doesn't make it any less difficult to watch."

Henry sighed, "Grant will probably come back, but he might be different than he was here."

Cassidy sighed as she stood up, she didn't know the guy well, but she was thankful for the things he did to help them along the way. He saved her life, so best not to waste it.

...

"Oh no, there's no valve. Where did it go?" Henry asked. Cassidy could detect a hint of sarcasm in her father's voice as he pointed out that the valve was missing.

Henry pulled a lever labeled utility access that had a Bendy Cutout next to it and she heard a garage door opening afterward. There was a trail of ink leading towards a stairway down towards what smelled like sewage mixed with ink.

The father and daughter headed down the stairs and before they entered the inky sewers Cassidy caught sight of a shadow behind a grated window. It looked like what Cassidy saw in the projector room before they fought the searchers earlier. Was it following them?

She turned away after the door opened all the way, she saw another one of those messages that were written in ink on the walls:** DOWN HERE WE ARE ALL SINNERS**. Cassidy pondered over its meaning for a moment before her father's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"Does that…thing have our valve?" Henry said nervously.

"What thing…oh," Cassidy said as she saw what her father was referring to, "That's a very nice hat."

It was another searcher, yet this one didn't attack them which reminded Cassidy of how Grant was. It disappeared quickly after she pointed the hat out, was it scared of something?

The wall that was behind the fancy searcher to held another disturbing message: **THE SHEEP WILL COME TO SLAUGHTER**. It was like the words she heard before she fell unconscious in the room her father found her in, the person calling her a little sheep was Sammy as she now knew from the tape recording.

They went further down before taking a break to listen to another tape, this one recorded by a man named Jack Fain that was lying on a table near a can of expired bacon soup. Cassidy sat in the chair, cringing slightly when she saw her father drink the Bacon Soup before she played the audio log.

_I love the quiet, and that's hard to come by these busy times._

_And yeah sure it may stink to high heaven down here. But it's just perfect for an old lyricist like me. Sammy's songs always got some bounce, but if I didn't get away once in a while, they'd never have any words to go with them._

_So I'll keep my mind a-singin' and my nose closed._

It was easy for Cassidy to understand the need for some silence, but one place she would never go for a moment of peace and quiet was the sewers. Even with the scent of ink the teenager could still detect the stench of sulfur. It was the reason she used her shirt to cover her nose now.

Once they were done resting, they continued through the sepia ink flooded sewers until the duo were in a room with two strange machines and a box in the center of the floor. Her father pulled a lever on the machine to her left and the box was lifted by a chain pulley system and Cassidy realized what was about to happen.

"Dad no!" she yelled.

"I wish I didn't have to do this either, but we need to get that valve." Her father responded. Cassidy blocked the other lever; she wasn't about to let the peaceful hat wearer get crushed. It posed no harm to them, why do they need to harm it then.

"There is always another way!" Cassidy argued, "Maybe we can talk to it, ask it to let us take the valve?"

"It will avoid us, Cass."

"Hello, I'm sorry if we scared you but we need that valve," Cassidy spoke gently to the inky creature. The creature disappeared into the ink again before resurfacing underneath the crate. It was then that she noticed another writing: **SING WITH ME**.

Jack Fain, he would be the only person who would spend time in the sewers. This searcher that donned a bowler hat on its inky head had to be him, the audio log was nearby unfinished sheets of music that had only some of the lyrics finished. Jack Fain must have been a lyricist for the studio, and he enjoyed the music he wrote lyrics too.

"This may sound…ridiculous, but dad I think that the searcher wants us to sing," Cassidy explained, "It's just a speculation, but the fancy guy could be…"

"Jack Fain, he never would take that hat of his off," Henry noted, "What does singing have to…oh…why have I never thought of that before?"

"Really, never once you thought of that!" Cassidy remarked, "Hold on, let me go get something."

She rushed back to the audio log and grabbed one of the unfinished music sheets without looking at the title and went back into the room and handed it to her father. She took a moment to catch her breath, regretting her decision to run back and forward between the two places.

"This was the plan for the original lyrics to the theme song, I believe I overheard Jack in the break room complaining how Joey rejected it at one time," Henry said, "Joey is the only person I know who says no by attaching a sticky note to something."

"I…am not going…to run back to get another…so let's make…do with what is there…" Cassidy breathed heavily before her breathing turned to normal. She looked it over, humming the notes she saw out loud in order to get a feel for the melody.

Freshman year she was required to participate in a music class where she was assigned to the piano. It was basic music she played, but she learned how to read sheet music in the first month of class.

Jack seemed to take notice of the humming and surfaced from the ink a few feet away from her. It seemed to enjoy the tune until she reached the end of the song and moaned in what sounded like disappointment.

"You have a very nice hat, Jack," Cassidy commented, the searcher seemed to shy away from her, "But I need that valve from you."

The searcher attempted to pull it off only to struggle with it and make a groan.

"Here let me try," Henry said as he slowly approached Jack. He was able to pull the valve off easily and the searcher seemed to be grateful for the deed, tipping its head before disappearing again into the ink.

"I didn't know you could do that," her father exclaimed.

"My school forced the freshman to learn a musical instrument, I got assigned to the piano and learned sheet music there," Cassidy explained, "I am terrible at playing the piano, or any other instrument for that matter to be completely honest."

Henry smiled, "Let's put this valve back where it belongs."

After they turned the valve, Cassidy and her father went back to Sammy's office. Her father seemed more hesitant now that they stood in the musician's office, was it the words on the wall?

**ITS TIME TO BELIEVE**

Something told Cassidy that the phrase was referring to something sinister. At least the music from the stereo distracted her from feeling too nervous.

"Dad is something wrong," she asked.

"Just stay close to me Cassy, especially right now," her father responded. He held onto his fire ax tightly, a sign that told her that Henry feared whatever was about to happen.

Cassidy pulled the pump switch herself as her father watched. The look in his eyes seemed to express worry and fear, she felt the same way seeing her father like that.

The exited the room with caution as they made their way to the stairwell. Once they made their way back to the Music Department something hit the back of her head.

"Sheep sheep sheep…rest your head it's time for bed."

...

"Leave her alone Sammy!" Henry yelled to the ink-covered man who wore a withered Bendy mask.

"You are no longer a suitable sheep, but I am honored you both came down here to see me," Sammy said as he went over to face Henry's unconscious daughter, "It makes what I am about to do to her seem cruel."

Henry was tied to a pillar across from Cassidy, who still hasn't woken up. He knew that the door Sammy was going to open was behind him, but he was worried that things may go differently and for the worst.

"There we go now, Nice and Tight. We wouldn't want our lamb roaming around would we," Sammy said as Cassidy opened her eyes while he held an ax, "No we wouldn't."

"Cassidy!"

"Quiet, you are an impersonator, taking his image!" Sammy laughed, "The believers honor their savior, and I must have him notice me."

"Dad? What is going on, and I…oh fiddlesticks I'm tied up aren't I?" Cassidy groaned, "Wait where is my Dad? What the hell did you do with…"

Sammy took another look at her, "Such a young little lamb, but not now for the time of sacrifice is at hand!"

"Hey, I asked where my…"

"I'm over here Cassy!" Henry yelled, why couldn't she recognize him.

"I told you to be quiet, I will not listen to the words of a fake!"

Cassidy turned her head towards her father, her eyes were open wide as she tried to say something only to be stopped by Sammy Lawrence's inky hand.

"Once the sacrifice is done, I will finally be freed from this…prison," Sammy gestured to his body, "This inky…dark…abyss I call a body."

Cassidy flinched when she heard a sudden loud noise, Sammy seemed glad that the noise was there.

"Shhhh…Quiet! Listen! I can hear him," the self-proclaimed prophet exclaimed before making gestures of praise to the ceiling, "Crawling above. Crawling!"

"Please, you don't have to do this!" Cassidy said, "There has to be…"

"Let us begin," Sammy interrupted, "The ritual must be completed."

Cassidy was once again stopped from speaking by the musician's hand, "Soon he will hear me…he will set us free."

Sammy walked away, closing the door behind him and Cassidy began to sob.

"Cassidy!"

"Dad, why do you look like…"

She was cut off by Sammy's chant, "Sheep, sheep, sheep, it's time for sleep. Rest your head it's time for bed."

Henry was able to undo his binds once the Prophet started to speak. The animator rushed to his daughter and attempted to untie her binds, only if he had her pocketknife. Henry looked around for Cassidy's satchel, finding it laying next to the ax. Henry picked up the bag and found the tool in the outside pocket and went to free his daughter.

"In the morning you will wake, or in the morning you'll be dead," Sammy continued, "Hear me, Bendy. Arise from the darkness! Arise and claim my offerings!"

Cassidy looked right into her father's eyes, her eyes that were filled with so much hope and energy before now had only one emotion, fear.

"I summon you Ink Demon!" Sammy yelled, the sound of the approaching ink demon louder now, "Show your face and take this tender lamb and your false image!"

Henry cut the rope that kept Cassidy tied to the wall and she stumbled into him. She hugged him with tears flowing from her eyes, yet there wasn't any time for tears with what was happening.

"No! My lord! Stay back," Sammy said desperately, "I am your prophet! I am your…"

Sammy screamed and Henry took Cassidy's hand and ran, the ink bubbled and a searcher appeared and he swung the ax at a searcher he encountered before handing Cassidy's weapon to her.

"Cassidy! Take your knife since you will need it!" Henry said, Cassidy, despite the terror in her eyes, she took the knife from him and held it tightly.

Henry swings his ax while Cassidy stabbed the searchers with her knife. This occurred until the two were able to make it to the doorway.

There were boards blocking their path, so Henry broke them to clear a path.

Cassidy almost made a wrong turn in the direction of a pile of wooden crates, but Henry grabbed her arm before he broke the last board. The ax broke, making a gash in his glove hand that was spilling ink.

"That must be the exit, Dad!" Cassidy exclaimed, "Just a little farther then…"

She took a few steps and two figures arose from ink. Henry recognized one of them as the ink demon, the other seemed to resemble a melting Boris.

"**TOOK YA LONG ENOUGH CREATOR, AND WHO IS THIS GAL?**" the lanky form of Bendy spoke. The ink demon gestured to Cassidy who still didn't notice the beings behind her. Henry's heart skipped a beat, fearing for his daughter's safety.

"Cassidy Alice Stein, we should run now," Henry said quietly, Cassidy seemed confused until she turned around to see the Ink demon and wolf.

"Oh, Fiddlesticks," she said before bursting into a sprint.

The animator ran faster than his daughter and took her by the hand. Leading Cassidy through the darkened…wait this part is usually darker than what he was seeing.

_'So that Bendy could talk this WHOLE TIME?'_ Henry's mind was going a thousand miles per minute as he processed what just happened, _'And there is more than ONE INK DEMON!'_

Cassidy seemed to keep looking behind her, she was curious yet terrified.

The animator led his kid through twists and turns before the pair reached a door.

Henry opened the door quickly and pushed Cassidy inside before entering himself. He pulled the barricade down to keep the monsters from getting inside.

"**THE GAL IS YA DAUGHTER!?**" the demon laughed maniacally, "**OH THIS IS GONNA BE SO MUCH FUN HENRY!**"

Cassidy and Henry took a moment to catch their breaths as they sat down on the creaking wooden floor.

"So the beast can talk," he felt awkward hearing his own voice. It sounded like how Bendy was voiced in his cartoons.

"I think you are hearing things, dad!" Cassidy told her father, "Also WHY DIDN'T YOU MENTION THAT THERE WERE TWO OF THEM!"

"I didn't know that there was an ink demon Boris until now!" Henry defended himself.

The two were safe for now, a can was rolled in front of them from the corner, but Henry stayed quiet.

"Hey, I know you're there so show yourself," Cassidy spoke.

Boris came out from behind the corner and picked up the can of bacon soup and handed it to Cassidy.


	6. You Were Looking for Change

The animator sat at the table in thought, the past events hung heavily on the father's mind as he tried to figure out why things have shifted in the loops. Somehow, he heard the ink demon talk while his daughter heard only the sounds of the demon's garbles.

Henry put his hand on his head as he continued to look over the notes that Cassidy made. There was a rough sketch of the Demon Boris they encountered in the hallway on the page the leather book was turned to that had everything they knew written in the margins about the new ink demon.

"Morning Dad, Morning Boris," he heard Cassidy say with a yawn. Boris wove in response when the teenager came into the kitchen.

"Sleep well?" Henry asked.

Cassidy didn't respond and pulled some of her black hair out of her face. There were bags under the girl's green eyes, Henry wasn't sure if it was due to her lack of glasses or that she didn't get much sleep.

The wireframe glasses were currently getting repaired by Boris, a screw came loose while they were running from Bendy and it was a miracle that the frame stayed together for as long as they did.

Henry heard Cassidy sigh, "I slept alright, just some unwelcome nightmares that's all."

The wolf toon perked its ears and expressed worry for the creator's child. Boris tapped Henry on his shoulder and pointed to Cassidy, seems the good boy was telling the father to talk to her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Henry asked.

"I really don't feel like it right now," Cassidy answered softly before taking a seat in between Boris and her father. Boris handed the girl's glasses to her along with a note.

_All fixed up_

"Thanks," Cassidy responded with a small smile before she put the glasses on her face, "That's much better, you really got a hand for this kind of thing, don't you?"

Boris nodded, he took out the sketchbook that Cassidy gave him to communicate with the duo and began to write with a pencil.

_Not a problem, so when are we gonna get outta here like ya both said?_

Henry pondered over the best thing to say, but Cassidy beat her father to the chase, "Well, to be honest, we don't exactly know the way out of this place either."

"Do you know of any exits, Boris?"

_There's the elevator, that's ya best shot and maybe our only one._

Henry already knew that this was the case, he had been through these 413 times by now without a single major event changing. This 414th loop seemed to be the exception only in certain places.

_But it's too dangerous, especially for Henry and me. If she catches sight of us we can be goners, she hates Bendy and well…I have seen what she does to what she calls 'perfect toons'_

He almost forgot about how he now resembled his creation now. He was around the same height as the cutouts and his clothes were now baggy on him. One thing that made him different was the addition of a devil's tail that swayed behind him, that was a feature of his original design for the little devil darling had.

"That makes me the only one that can go through without those worries," Cassidy sighed sadly.

_I would still worry about her if I were you_

Henry knew how to persuade Boris to let them go, but he understood what the wolf meant. Even though Cassidy is 15 she looks three years younger than that, and the Twisted Alice might hurt or even kill the teenager out of jealousy. He had to agree with Boris on this one, it's a huge risk for the group.

"You to dad?" Cassidy groaned after he nodded, "Who is this person you keep referring too anyways?"

_The twisted angel, best not to call her by name even if it's the first part_

"You mean Alice?"

"Cassidy Alice Stein, that Alice that Boris is referring too is not a good person," the creator told to his daughter in a stern tone of voice, "I know you were able to find a different approach with Jack Fain, but this Alice Angel is cruel."

_Her middle name is Alice? That might be a bad omen for ya kid down here Henry._

_'Trust me, I am afraid of that too Wally,'_ the former animator wanted to respond, but Henry believed that his kid had enough things to worry about now. His hand felt at the horns that protruded from his head with his gloved hand, he still needed to figure out a way to reverse this change and keep his kid from falling to the ink.

"You said that we were heading out once my glasses were fixed," Cassidy reminded her father with her arms crossed, "We can't stay here forever, the ink demon will catch us sooner or later."

Boris looked like he understood what Cassidy was trying to say, Henry also had to agree with his daughter on this. It is dangerous to stay in one place down here in Joey Drew Studios, either the ink demon finds you or worse.

_Ya kid has a point, but we can't go on an empty stomach._

"How long has it been since you ate kiddo?" Henry asked.

"Since the morning I got here," she answered.

_Why don't ya make us some bacon soup Henry, she must be starving._

The demon toon nodded; Boris then turned to the young Cassidy who was deep in thought. The girl's clothes were torn and had ink stains on them, she discarded her socks after the run-in with the ink demons, so her feet were now bare.

_Why did ya come here if you knew that people went missing?_

"I needed answers, and I rather not live with the man who is probably to blame for all this," the teen responded.

_Did something happen to lead you here?_

"I don't want to talk too much about it, but now my father is the only family I have left," Cassidy admitted, "I just knew that bastard Joey was lying about him being dead, but no one believed me cause I am just a kid to them."

There was a hint of irritation in the girl's voice when she spoke about how people didn't listen to her. Henry admired his daughter's optimism; she still had a determined look whenever she said that they were going to leave.

"Here is some bacon soup Cassy," Henry gave her the bowl of soup before handing the other bowl to Boris. The wolf retrieved his toolbox and handed to the father and daughter with the lid opened. The lever was inside, but Henry had to grab something before they would leave.

The animator went into the bedroom that they have been sleeping in, he grabbed a bone from a box and gave it to the Boris. Henry had given the wolf the bone ever since he realized that the toon would put the femur in his mouth.

Cassidy smiled when she saw the toon put the bone in his mouth, how long has it been since he saw a genuine smile on his kid's face.

_Once we leave, we won't be able to come back here._

"Then let me get all my things together," Cassidy said before grabbing her belongings and stashing them in her satchel. Her knife was placed back in the outside pocket of the bag for ease of access in case of an attack.

The father took the handle and reattached it to the lever with ease. He waited until Cassidy and Boris were standing behind him to open the door, Cassidy had the satchel over her shoulder and Boris held the bone in his muzzle.

Cassidy exited the safe house first, going ahead of them until she stopped in front of a Little Miracle Station.

"Is this some sort of porter potty?" she asked as she opened the door, "Dad, what are these supposed to be for?"

"Hiding from the ink demon," the father answered, "Looks like it's really dark up ahead, let's find some light."

Henry took the flashlight that was placed on the table nearby and turned it on and entered the dark hallway, Cassidy and Boris were following close behind him.

"Don't be scared Boris. I'll keep the light near you, so you don't get lost," Henry reassured the wolf toon.

He took a few steps before he turned around to see that Cassidy was covering her ears from the sounds coming from the machinery. The father noticed that his daughter would jump when there was a sudden loud noise, and he knew that she had trouble dealing with too much noise. She kept moving with her hands covering her ears until she jumped after footsteps were heard above with a gurgled voice.

"**ABOVE YA HENRY**," Bendy said, "**GOTTA SAY YA WEAR MY LOOK WELL OLD MAN**."

Cassidy held onto her father's arm; she made a little squeak as the footsteps followed them above. How did the ink demon even see them, was it the Bendy cutout that was lying against the wall that gave Bendy visual of the three companions.

"**NO NEED TO FEAR ME, SIS**," the ink demon sounded so friendly with his tone towards the teen, "**I JUST WANNA MAKE YA BETTER!**"

Once the footsteps were no longer heard Henry sighed and looked at his two companions, "Did you hear something? Ya me neither."

The trio continued to the end of the twisty hallway filled with machines and they welcomed the light near the mechanical door.

Cassidy looked at the door and sighed, "Another dead end. We might be able to use the vent, but that could be risky for all three of us."

Cassidy knelled down in front of the vent and took out her pocketknife. She made the screwdriver be the only tool up and began to loosen the screws that kept the vent closed.

_Henry and I should use the vent, you go through the door once it opens._

"Boris, I can't leave my daughter here alone!" Henry told the wolf who responded by dragging the demon by his horns.

Boris held the flashlight as the wolf led Henry through the vent system, _'Please stay alive kiddo.'_

* * *

Cassidy leaned against a wall as she waited for the door to open. She fiddled with her knife which had the safety cover on to keep the teen from receiving any injuries from the tool. It was thirty seconds before she heard the metal door opening slowly, the sound was irritating but not as bad as the inky whispers.

"Guess I am meeting them up ahead," the girl said after waiting a few more minutes for the two to emerge from the vent, "Dad has Boris with him, I shouldn't be too worried when they got each other's backs."

At the end of the hall was a picture of Bendy's face with splotches of ink covering random places. She walked into the hallway; her bare feet hurt as they stepped on the grated floor. The sharp wiring cut into the tender skin drawing blood from the cuts. Cassidy ran and used the wall with the demon's face to bring her to a stop, _'I wish I didn't lose my shoes.'_

There were two paths, but they both led to the same room as the young girl discovered after taking the path to her right. The room was huge with giant plushies scattered around if the situation was different Cassidy would have taken some of them home. There was a fountain of ink flowing from the ceiling in front of a sign that said Heavenly Toys and a set of stairs to the upper section of the room.

"I don't think this place was this big when my dad worked here," Cassidy commented as she went towards the stairs. How far underground did the studio go anyways?

On the second level of the room, there was a room with machines and shelves with plushies of Bendy, Boris, and Alice on them. Beyond one of the shelves was a door, and after exploring a bit Cassidy found that is was the only door forward.

"Why is there always something blocking the door," Cassidy groaned, "There has to be a way through."

A woman began to hum as the young girl went to pull the lever Cassidy saw while she went up the stairs. Once it was pulled, she went back into the room and saw plushies keeping the machine from moving, she pulled the soft toys out and sneaked one into her bag. The machine started to move and stopped when she saw another audio log.

She reached her arm through the shelf and accidentally hit a glob of ink that turned into an inky Boris. Curious, Cassidy touched it a few more times and it formed the shape of a machine and refused to change into anything else. She turned her attention back to the tape labeled Shawn Fynn and pressed play.

_I don't be seein' what the big deal is._

_So what if I went and painted some of those Bendy dolls with a crooked smile?_

_That's sure no reason for Mr. Drew to be flyin' off the handle at me. And if he really wants to be so helpful, he could be tellin' me what I'm to be doin' with this warehouse I got full of that angel whatchamacallit. Not a scrap of that mess be a-sellin'!_

_Probably have to melt it all down to be rid of it all._

The teen had to admit she found the idea of someone pranking Joey amusing. After all, she herself had played a few small pranks on her uncle just to spite him. The dingdong ditch was her go-to when she wanted to remind Joey that she wasn't going to listen to any of the man's bullshit. Her uncle got mad whenever she would play a prank, the smallest ones would get the liar riled up long enough for her to search for clues in his room.

She smiled as she reminisced on her pranks but knew she shouldn't linger here for too long. The door ahead was ready to be opened now after all.

When the creator's daughter stepped into the room, she didn't expect the door to close behind her. She banged on it a bit before turning around to see where she was.

There was a sign being held by an Alice Angel that said She's Quite the Gal over a glass window. Beyond the window was what seemed like a backstage door since it has a star on it. There were TVs in the room that were turned off until the room went dark.

Cassidy jumped when she heard the music start to play, it was an Alice Angel song that was being sung.

I'm the cutest little angel, sent from above, and I know just how to swing.

"Hello is someone there?"

_I got a bright little halo, and I'm filled with love..._

POP

_I'm Alice Angel!_

_'Like I couldn't guess that,' _the teenager muttered with a hint of sarcasm.

_I'm the hit of the party, I'm the belle of the ball, I'm the toast of every town_

_Just one dance, and I know you'll fall..._

POP

_I'm Alice Angel!_

Cassidy rolled her eyes when people found out her father used to work for Joey Drew Studios and learned that the former animator gave Cassidy her middle name, she never heard the last of that tune.

_I ain't no flapper, I'm a classy fish, and boy can this girl sing._

_This girl can grant your every wish._

The lights turned on the other side of the window, curiously Cassidy began to approach the glass. Her hands hovering over the clear glass before someone yelled.

"I'M ALICE ANGEL!" a woman slammed on the glass startling the young girl.

They stared at each other for a moment, Cassidy clutching her knife tightly waiting for the twisted figure to attack her.

She got a good look at the woman's face, half of it was disfigured to a point she could see the gums of the teeth. The other half resembled a human Alice Angel, this had to be the Alice that her father was warning her about.

The twisted Alice slammed the window again with a growl and shards of glass got scattered around the room.

"I see you there," A female voice said, "A new fly caught in my endless web."

A hand brushed the young girl's cheek, sending a chill down her spine as the woman spoke directly into her ear.

"Let's see if you are worthy to walk alongside angels," the breathing she felt over her left shoulder shifted to her right, "When you already walk with demons."


	7. The Scars I Hide

When the lights turned back on, Cassidy took a moment to process what just occurred. Her legs were shaking in fear and she just felt completely uncomfortable with the words the angel said to her.

As the teen left, she made careful strides to keep from injuring her feet further. There was already blood on the ground from the piece of glass that pierced through the top of the girl's left foot. Every step made her wince in pain, and the cloth that covered the wound was soaked red and black. She used the wall to help her keep standing since her balance was now off.

It took her longer than she thought it would to reach a fork in her path, a sign pointing in the two pathways giving her a choice between the hallways. Cassidy could take the demon's path to her left or the path of angels to her right.

_'One could be to answers, and the other to something else,'_ Cassidy thought to herself, _'Should I risk everything for clues, or play it safe…know what I'm risking it! Demon Path here I come!'_

She stumbled to switch to the wall on her opposite side and the path she didn't go down was now shut off. It didn't really matter to Cassidy; Angel's path was not really appealing to her after meeting the Twisted Alice.

What the teen didn't account for was the Demon's path being flooded with ink, and once she stepped her injured foot in, she bit her tongue to stop herself from screaming. The cloth that was wrapped around her foot was now lost in the ink, and therefore let the ink seep into the open wound.

The teen spotted another audio log, one with a name all too familiar to Cassidy on the label.

_There's nothing wrong with dreaming. Wishing for the impossible is just human nature. That's how I got it started. Just a pencil and a dream. We all want everything without even having to lift a finger. They say you just have to believe._

_Belief can make you succeed._

_Belief can make you rich._

_Belief can make you powerful._

_Why with enough belief, you can even cheat death itself._

_Now that... is a beautiful, and positively silly thought._

Cassidy never had much of a strong temper, but something inside her snapped as she heard her uncle speak about dreams and belief.

"Like you have anything to say, your dream made my dad and my lives a living fucking nightmare," Cassidy spat at the tape, "I had NO ONE to go to who would even listen to me!"

She threw the tape into the ink; her pent-up emotions were at the bridge of bursting out of her mouth. Emotions that she kept hidden just to make it seem like those words people said to hurt her didn't harm her much. If she would tell anyone then those kids would know that the response they wanted was there, and they would just continue to break her down. Emotions of resentment towards the man who made her out to be a kid wanting attention, the man who trapped her father here.

Cassidy took a deep breath to calm her nerves, she didn't have time for this right now. She continued to tread through the ink until she reached dry flooring, her hand resting on the wall for support.

She looked down at her injured foot, surprised to see the wound had healed to only show a small inky scar where the glass dug into her skin. She let go of the wall and put pressure back onto the left foot, it was sore, but Cassidy could handle it.

She opened the door and continued through, spotting another one of those Miracle Stations as she passed through the hallway with ink dripping from the pipes. After another turn there was another area with grated flooring, Cassidy stayed near the wall, not wanting to inflict any more pain onto the bottoms of her feet as she made her way to the next room.

After walking a few steps, the teen's heart stopped after a Bendy cutout peeked from the corner.

"Boris, you could have scared her to death!" she heard her father scold the wolf. Cassidy turned the corner to see that Boris and her father were there, the demon toon's face gave the wolf a stern look as Boris looked the other direction with a silent whistle.

"Come on you two," Cassidy groaned before making a small chuckle, "That little scare was less painful than the one that Alice gave me."

Her father now looked at her with panic, "Did she hurt…"

"She broke some glass and a shard got stuck in my foot," his daughter replied, "I got the shard out, but it stung like bees when ink got on it."

Henry was holding two pipes that were attached to a band that was labeled "GENT", at least her father had a weapon to defend himself with now. Boris held another of the pipes out towards Cassidy, she assumed the wolf was giving it to her.

"Boris, you should have something to defend yourself with as well," Cassidy rejected the offer, "Anyways I have my trusty pocketknife."

_This will be better than your knife here_

The animator's daughter sighed as she accepted the weapon, she still thought that Boris needed a weapon, by the wolf took out the bone in his mouth as if to say that will be his defense.

The three companions ventured into the next room where there were more shelves for Bendy merchandise. Further into the room were wires that lead from a lever that was to open the next door.

Henry turned to his two comrades, "Looks like to open this, we're going to need to throw two levers at once."

"As much as I love puzzles, I find this ridiculous and impractical for an animation studio!" Cassidy commented. It must have been hard for anyone to go anywhere in a timely manner.

"You get this one Boris," the animator who looked like his creation said, "Cassidy you stay with Boris while I find the other."

The teen nodded, Henry could see that his kid was tired and understood she needed to take a quick break. The animator made his way towards where the poster that displayed the Butcher Gang was and held the GENT pipe at ready, Charley would come out of the wall once he came closer.

The ripping of paper signaled the emerging of the disfigured character, and Henry took a few hits before he was able to give Charley a few of his own.

"Dad, I heard a commotion in here, is every…" Cassidy came to check on her father and saw Henry struggle to fight the Butcher Gang leader.

Charley noticed the young girl and turned its full attention towards her, Henry used the distraction to give the mangled toon the last few hits to return it to the inky puddles. The former human turning his gaze towards his daughter before he took a deep breath, he knew that Cassidy worried about him just as much as Henry fretted over her.

The animator gave Boris the signal and the two pulled the levers to access the next area of the studio. Boris waited for the father-daughter duo at the door so they could continue towards the elevator together.

They were a floor above the elevator's entrance, and there was another Miracle Station at the other end of the platform. In fact, there seemed to be another of the strange boxes below near the elevator, the circle on the door visible from their vantage point.

There were stairs leading to the elevator which the trio used to reach the cage-like lift that seemed to have no actual walls. It was what many would call a safety hazard nowadays, even glass elevators needed to have walls to reinforce their strength.

When Cassidy stepped into the elevator she stayed as close to her father as she could. She wouldn't trust this elevator as far as she could throw it, but Boris said the elevator was the only way up and out of the cursed studio.

"So interesting…so different…" the twisted Angel spoke through the speakers, "I have to say. I'm an instant fan!"

Henry held onto his daughter's hand tightly, "Leave her alone."

"Oh, what are you going to do about it, demon?" the Angel asked before laughing, "I do wonder how you became so perfect so quickly."

"You better keep your inky fingers away from my Dad" Cassidy warned.

"Your father?" Alice seemed taken back by Cassidy's words before she laughed again, "Tell me, girl, what is your name?"

"Cassidy Stein," the teenager responded with a hint of fear in her voice. She didn't trust this so-called 'Alice' one bit, there was something off about the seductive voice the twisted angel was using.

"Looks like you get to meet an angel," the angel said softly, "Come to me now, Level 9."

"I don't think she's giving us a choice," Cassidy groaned. The elevator was headed to that level anyway, meaning the lift was indeed controlled by that twisted angel.

Something she noticed about the labels for the levels was that they didn't follow a consecutive order. There were some floors that used letters and others that had numbers, and as Cassidy expected the buttons didn't work when she pressed them.

"Just follow the screams," Alice ordered, "And refrain from pressing the other buttons, I'd rather not force you to use the stairs."

Great, just what Cassidy needed, more sounds that could overstimulate her senses in the wrong direction. The sounds that came from the ink pumps were already enough for Cassidy to get overwhelmed by sounds. Heck, the whispers of the ink were far worse than the banging pipes and dripping ink that echoed through the wooden walls of the studio.

The only sounds that the young girl could hear now were the sounds of ink and the elevator descending deeper down into the hellish studio. So, when the elevator slowed down to a halt and the angel spoke again Cassidy was slightly startled by the door opening.

"Come on, step out of your cage," Alice told the three occupants of the lift, "There's a whole twisted world out here."

The twisted Alice Angel laughed as they exited the elevator, Cassidy wanted to say how the twisted one here was this "Alice" but kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to anger someone who could break glass with their fists.

Her father stepped out of the lift first and Boris followed close behind. Cassidy was last, her companions waiting for her near another giant Alice Angel head with a sign saying Sent From Above. Cassidy took her time reaching the door once she noticed an audio log on a shelf at the corner of her eye.

She readjusted her glasses before pressing the play button, recognizing the first voice that she heard after coming down here. She never saw the label until now, Thomas Conner.

_These blasted elevators…sometimes they open…sometimes they don't…sometimes they come…sometimes they keep on going to hell and back._

_I keep telling these people. If Mr. Joey Drew keeps cutting corners like this someone's sure to end up falling to their death, but it sure ain't going to be me._

_I'm taking the stairs_

Cassidy already had her doubts about the elevator, it had no walls for one and the buttons for the levels were just plain confusing for any building to have. No one can survive a drop from more than a few stories, which means that if the elevator failed while the three partners were inside, they might not ever get out of here.

Rather not to think on the dire circumstances that could come, Cassidy joined up with her father and the friendly wolf. The door started to slowly open and the wolf ran ahead of them.

"Boris," the teen reached her hand out to try to stop the toon, "We should…and he's gone."

"Maybe you should stay back Cassy," the other toon suggested with a hand on her shoulder.

"No dad, I am staying with you and Boris!" Cassidy declined as she entered the hallway that at the end of it was an Alice cutout, a nice break from the constant grinning demons that would scare them at random. They entered another room after a few more turns, one flooded with ink and operation tables.

It all made Cassidy want to vomit, there were toons with their chests open revealing their internal organs attached to operating tables. It made her feel sick seeing the Boris clones and the Butcher Gang in this state, they must have been alive at some point but now they are lying in here, dead.

Boris stared at a clone of himself, inky tears flowing from his pie cut eyes. Cassidy understood why the wolf was upset, her own tears were falling from her cheeks. The clone strapped to the table even had x's over its eyes, a visual effect in cartoons to exhibit death in a character.

Cassidy gave the wolf a hug which was met with the toon kneeling a bit to return the hug. The taller of the two giving the other a bear hug while they shed their tears, one with salty and the other with inky drops.

"Look around, it took so many of them to make me so beautiful," Alice interrupted, "Anything less than perfect was left behind."

Cassidy let the wolf go once she heard the demented angel speak, "You…you did all of this just to be beautiful?"

The angel made a small chuckle that rang through the speakers, "You sound terrified little girl, sacrifices had to be made so I can be the angel."

"They had lives!" Cassidy gestured to the dismembered toons, "Thoughts and feelings, and you feel no REMORSE!"

"You must be living in your own world child!" Alice snarled, "You know little of how our little world works, best you learn quickly, or you may meet a painful demise."

Henry stepped close to his daughter, the new toon holding his weapon to keep Cassidy from rushing forward. The father had never seen his child this upset before, it was like the angel hit a sensitive wound that was having trouble healing.

"Bendy, or would you prefer Henry," the woman's voice said to him, "Either way, demon, I will only let Boris or your little…sunshine see me. Oh, I would prefer if she came, just a little talk between us girls."

The teen sighed deeply before pushing the pipe out of the way. Cassidy walked over wooden planks that acted as bridges over the ink, she almost lost her balance a few times as she attempted to reach an audio log she saw.

_Who would have thought!? Me having lunch with Joey Drew!_

_Apparently, times are tougher than I thought. For a moment there I thought I'd be stuck with the check._

_But I gotta say, he wasn't at all what I expected._

_Quite the charmer._

_He even called me Alice._

_I liked it._

It was then the pieces began to fit together, the realization that the girl's uncle used Susie to further his goal made Cassidy even more disgusted with the man. This Alice had to be Susie Campbell, which means that the articles the teen read while looking for clues lied about the actress's reaction to being replaced.

The door opened and Cassidy went through another hallway filled with loud machines and Alice merchandise in one corner. All to emerge on the other side of a gruesome sight.

Now once again she had to face the twisted angel alone, all while watching a disformed Charley on the other side of the glass.

The angel made a crooked smile once she spotted the young Cassidy, "Now that I look at you, I can see it in your eyes."

Cassidy stepped back, she didn't want to know what the twisted angel was about to say.

"I know those eyes well," the angel laughed, "The eyes of someone who is breaking apart from the inside. Yes, it's like looking into a mirror."

"What do you know, I am nothing like you," Cassidy remarked.

"I'm not saying you are; I just understand what it's like to be hurt that much," Susie spoke kindly, "You have been hurt by someone…or maybe more than just one person?"

Her gut was telling her to get away, that the sadistic angel would tell her what she had been hiding for years. Something she'd rather not have this obviously murderous angel know about herself.

"Oh, did I hit a touchy topic there?" the woman said with a hint of sarcasm, "You haven't told your father about your pain, seeing that you are here I would say Mr. Joey Drew had something to do with it."

"How…how did you?"

Susie rolled her non-inked eye, "You threw that audio log earlier, didn't think I'd notice your little tantrum."

"Hm. Now we come to the question…" Alice spoke, "Do I kill you? Tear you apart to my heart's delight?"

Another cat walked over her grave with those words, Cassidy would rather not die yet when she still had to get Boris and Henry out of the studio. It disturbed her more that she made it clear that Alice was referring to the teenager once she gave Cassidy a sinister smile.

"The choices of the beautiful are unbearable," Alice whispered, "How's a girl to choose?"

Cassidy wished she could exit the room, but the door was sealed off.

The angel laughed before gesturing to the Charley strapped to the wooden board, "Take this little freak for instance! He crawled in here…trailing his tainted ink to my door!"

_'They are still alive, but you don't feel remorse of guilt for any of this do you,'_ Cassidy wanted to say.

"It could have touched me!" Alice exclaimed, "It could have pulled me BACK!"

There was fear in the angel's face, whatever place the twisted Alice feared must be one that Cassidy should avoid.

"Do you know what it's like?" Alice asked, "Living in the dark puddles? Your father must know the place well."

"It's a buzzing, screaming well of voices!" there was disgust in the angel's voice before her tone changed, "Bits of your mind, swimming…like…like fish in a bowl!"

Alice began to explain, "The first time I was born from it's inky womb, I was wiggling, pussing, shapeless slug. The second time…well…"

"It made me an angel!" Alice then turned to her, "I will not let the demon touch me again, so keep your daddy away from me!"

Cassidy rolled her eyes, "I won't promise anything, cause if you even dare hurt me or Boris you might just get on Henry's bad side."

"I am so close now," Alice exclaimed, completely ignoring the teen, "So…almost perfect!"

The twisted Alice sighed before her voice changed again, "Yes, I will spare you. For now."

Cassidy couldn't trust this twisted angel's words; the angel might try to stab them in the back once they get the chance.

"Better yet I'll even let you and your father ascend and leave this place. I could even take you under my wing and teach you how things work down here," Alice claimed to promise, "If you will do a few eensey weensy little favors for me first."

Cassidy sighed, "I don't have a choice in this matter, do I?

"No, you don't. Return to the lift, my little errand girl," the angel ordered, "We have work to do!"


	8. Family

"My machines are hungry, gather me some spare parts," Alice ordered Cassidy once she stepped out of the Angel's sanctuary.

Next to the young artist was a pillar that turned to reveal a wrench. Cassidy expected it to be heavy and was surprised to find it weighed the same as her pocketknife.

_'So, I need to collect some machine parts then, maybe three will be enough?'_ Cassidy asked herself. She didn't want to be doing that angel's dirty work for too long, so she turned and headed her way back to the elevator.

"There are so few rules to our world now," Alice interrupted the young girl's thoughts, "So little truths, but there is one rule we all know and respect down here."

"Beware the Ink Demon," the angel warned, "He may seem like he's in a chipper mood right now, but if you stay out in the open for too long, he will find you."

Cassidy really wanted to break the news to this twisted angel, "Maybe you didn't get the memo, the ink demon has a partner now."

"I wouldn't worry about that tainted wolf, that one can't leave the ink completely," the angel laughed, "But when you see the Ink Demon I would hide if I were you."

'Thanks captain obvious,' Cassidy grumbled under her breath as she waited outside the elevator for the Angel to stop monologuing.

"If you don't then…well…I enjoyed our little girl time," Alice said, "Now, let us begin our work."

Her father was in the elevator being held back by Boris; the wolf was keen on keeping the two of them safe in different ways. Cassidy pressed the button to open the grated elevator and went inside.

After another uneventful elevator ride the door opened again and the Angel began talking, "Have you met him? The Ink Demon? They say he hears everything,"

Cassidy sighed, "Yes I have met the ink demon, almost got sacrificed to it as well."

"Every creek of the floor. Every rustle of paper," Alice explained, "I wouldn't run so fast if I were you. You never know what will draw him in."

"Hey Boris, can you let my dad come with me?" Cassidy asked the toon, "I have no idea what I'm supposed to do to get these…"

"Cassidy look out behind you!" Henry shouted, his daughter turned around and saw a Butcher gang member approaching her with a pipe in its hand.

Cassidy didn't have much time to react before the pipe hit her in the shoulder. Cassidy screamed and dropped the wrench at her feet, Henry reacted quickly and picked the tool up and defeated Charley.

"You really need to be more aware of your surroundings here kiddo," her father reminded her before he looked at the gash on her shoulder. The look on the former animator's face told her that the wound was deep, which Cassidy knew couldn't happen from a blunt object.

"So, the little errand girl can't take a hit without getting badly hurt," the Angel ticked her tongue, "Such a little child, are you like 10?"

"Actually, I am 15, thank you very much," Cassidy said, before gritting her teeth in pain.

"It doesn't matter, you still have a job to do for me," the angel reminded, "I have all the time in the world to wait, but do you?"

Henry kept ahold of the wrench as he stepped out of the elevator, "Boris take care of her while I'm gone, and if the…other Bendy…comes then close the gate."

The wolf nodded before the new demon turned around to begin the heartless angel's errand. The first gear was dropped by the Charlie that attacked Cassidy, so he wouldn't have to go too far to collect each of the gears.

_'Just as long as Bendy doesn't make an appearance then this should be simple,'_ Henry thought to himself as he walked through the halls of Level K.

After retrieving the first gear dark webbing began to envelop the walls. The nearest Miracle station would take forever to reach, but he bolted towards it, with the lanky toon following behind him.

"**CREATOR, YA COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW**," Bendy yelled, "**BORIS, STOP HIM!**"

The ink puddle in front of him began to bubble and the melting form of Boris grabbed ahold of Henry's leg. He struggled to free the limb from the inky wolf's grasp, but the attempt was futile. Bendy was right in his face with that same cartoonish grin that never changed.

"**I JUST WANT TA TALK WITH YA,**" the ink demon spoke, "**DONCHA WORRY, I WOULD NEVER HARM MY OWN FACE.**"

Henry made a gurgled growl, "If it's me you want, fine, just let Cassidy leave."

The demon laughed, "**LEAVE! 'BOUT THAT, I AIN'T LETTING NO ONE LEAVE THIS STUDIO.**"

"She's just a kid…"

"**THAT AIN'T THE MATTER HENRY, AND YA GOT THIS ALL WRONG,**" Bendy interrupted, "**I JUST HAVE TA ASK YA A FEW QUESTIONS.**"

"Like I…"

"**FIRST, WHAT'S IT LIKE, HAVING A FAMILY?**" Bendy asked genuinely.

Henry was taken aback by those words, "Well a family loves and cares about each other."

"**LOVE? JOEY SAID HE LOVED BENDY, HE CAGED ME AND CALLED ME A FAILURE…THAT'S LOVE? DO YA NOT LOVE YA KID THEN?**"

"NO, that is not love," Henry interjected, "Love is…going to great lengths to protect someone who you care about, to be there when they need help or feel down, and when they are at their best and their worst."

"**YA WEREN'T THERE FOR HER FOR FIVE YEARS…**"

"Do you THINK that I haven't been trying to come back home to my family," Henry retorted sharply, raising a cartoon gloved hand in irritation, "Even on the cycles where I forget, I still know there are people I need to get back to!"

"**IF LOVE IS…PROTECTING OTHERS,**" Bendy's speech slowed down, "**THEN IS THAT THIS FEELING I HAVE ALL THE SUDDEN, THIS THING IN MY INKY CHEST THAT FEELS LIKE IT'S POUNDING.**"

Bendy looked back towards the direction of the elevator, "**THIS FEELING I GET WHEN I SEE YA KID HURT OR IN DANGER…SHE WAS CRYIN AND THIS FEELING…THIS URGE…WAS STRANGE.**"

Boris let Henry's leg go, which caused him to stumble and fall. He never gave his knees much credit until they were taken from him. It was a struggle to get back onto his feet, but Henry managed after a couple of tries.

"**NICE TALKIN WITH YA OLD MAN,**" Bendy said before disappearing into the ink.

_'What the hell just happened?'_ Henry asked himself.

Bendy didn't appear after that, which made Henry worried about what the ink demon was talking about before. Why would the ink demon that was described as 'soulless' talk about those things, unless there was a soul in there somewhere?

Cassidy stood in the elevator, her back had healed during his time collecting the power cores for the twisted Alice Angel. Henry hadn't said anything about his encounter with Bendy, worried that it was a trick.

Once the elevator stopped, Henry stepped onto the floor of Level 9. The next task was one that he wasn't looking forward too since he knew Bendy would probably appear after all of the cutouts were destroyed.

Henry returned the plunger and delivered the three power cores that Susie asked for. There was some shuffling on the angel's end before she revealed the ax.

"I was going to send you to cut down some grinning demons, but something has come up needing immediate attention," the angel taunted, "One of the pipes burst and I cannot access the panel to lower the pressure."

Henry looked over at Boris, hoping that this change would be one to keep the wolf from the fate the twisted angel had in store for him.

Alice giggled, "As if I am asking YOU demon, this requires a more delicate touch. I was referring to my little errand girl in the lift, but if it makes you feel better, I will let you tag along."

Cassidy came over to the entrance to the angel's hideout, her hand shook nervously as she approached the door.

"Come inside, you have a big job ahead for you," the angel said to Cassidy, "As for you demon, why don't you take the ax after all a puddle of ink welcomes more than searchers inside."

Henry grabbed ahold of the ax, the weapon had become a comfort after the countless times the fire ax has saved him from and inky demise.

"Cassy, stay close," Henry reminded his daughter, the teenager was a few paces ahead of him in the hallway which was dripping with ink.

The angel's hideout was now covered with splattered puddles of ink across the floor and walls. A couple of drops hit Henry's now inky form, disappearing into the ink of what used to be flesh. He still wasn't used to the feeling of ink shifting around inside of him when he moved too quickly.

Henry remembered not being able to see his reflection, yet this loop he wished he hadn't. He wasn't an on-module version of Bendy, it was more as if the Little Devil Darlin that he used to draw was merged with him. His clothes even shrunk to match the form his body took, with the addition of Bendy's signature bowtie on his neck. It wouldn't surprise him if his internal organs were affected by this change, seeing how hearts were affected by the ink that changed the inhabitants of the studio.

This was why he wanted to get Cassidy out of here as soon as possible. The animator's daughter only was connected to this mess by her relation to him and Joey. Then there was his conversation with Bendy that made his father side worry more for the hope-filled teen.

"Hey dad, you are coming right?" the girl asked. Cassidy's raven hair laid loose against her back; the ponytail was taken out after her encounter with Charley. Her pants stained with ink with her shirt with splatters of the cold substance on it.

Henry shook himself out of his thoughts, "Oh right, let's just get these errands done with kiddo."


	9. Siblings

**_Abandoned, Alone, Forgotten, Anger, Rage_**

For thirty years, that was all he ever felt trapped in the inky abyss of the studio. The ink demon was feared, a force they saw as a god or monster.

Joey said he was soulless, that Bendy was a beast that needed to be locked in a cage with the key thrown away. He was left in an abandoned studio, watching as people left one by one until only three remained. That Susie was already trapped, but right before Sammy could step out the door for good the demon snatched him.

Bendy made it so that they couldn't leave, they were consumed by the ink after all. The demon didn't care what Joey's intentions were when the workers came filing back after they received a letter from their old boss. Bendy wasn't going to let anyone leave, they were the cause of his pain, they deserved to be trapped down here like he was.

Soulless, monster, demon, murderer, lord…the ink demon had heard them all. Was he really soulless?

All of these thoughts were running through the ink demon's head as he entered the False Angel's territory, bursting a pipe as he did. That was part of what he was going to do in the first place.

_'Bendy what are you doing,'_ the voice of Joey yelled, _'You're supposed to stay on script.'_

"**DIDN'T YA YET THE MEMO JOEY, THE SCRIPT AIN'T IN CHARGE ANYMORE**," Bendy told the observing man, "**SO I AIN'T GOTTA DO WHAT YA WROTE ME TA DO**."

_'The script gave you a PURPOSE, the closest thing you are ever getting to a soul…'_ Joey began to say before the demon interrupted him.

"**YA LIE JOEY**," Bendy growled, "**YA BEEN LYIN TO ME BOUT HENRY, AND YA LIED BOUT MY BORIS. ALL IT TOOK WAS THE CREATOR'S KID RUINING YA PRECIOUS SCRIPT FOR ME TA SEE**."

Joey laughed nervously, _'So, you are beginning to remember.'_

"**YA HAVE NO POWER OVER THE STUDIO ANYMORE**," the demon wished he could turn his frozen grin into a smirk, "**I AM AT THE WHEEL NOW, YA JUST WATCH**."

The namesake of the studio grew quiet, not even menacing laughter or a snarky remark came from the tyrant's mouth. The demon didn't mind the man's silence, it was welcomed with open arms as Bendy was now in charge.

Cassidy and Henry entered the flooded lair, Bendy watching closely as the two were following the breadcrumbs that the demon laid out for the two. This was now his story to shape, and he was going to make sure he wouldn't die this time.

He wasn't going to let the two go; oh he couldn't do that when the ink demon longed for this family thing the two have. Bendy chuckled a bit, he just had to open the girl's ears to the ink.

The room with the Boris and Butcher Gang clones was fully flooded, not a single platform to help the two get across. With Henry being forced to stay behind, it was the perfect chance to begin his plan. The ink answers to the ink demon and the real Boris was already in place.

"Cassidy, I can't walk across with you," Henry said, "How did Alison say it, 'A drop of water in the ocean is rarely seen again."

Cassidy sighed deeply, something which the demon noted she did often, "Alone then…"

She said something under her breath that the demon couldn't hear as the girl stepped into the lake of ink which came up to her chest. It took a while for her to tread through the substance that held no obstacle for the ink demon.

There was a new area opened, one that led to the Angel's control room that she would use to prevent any ink pipes from bursting in her home. This was the place the demon planned to ambush the teen, and the room was flooded with enough ink to allow Boris to appear.

"It's time to make my move," Bendy said out loud as he disappeared into the ink.

**Please Save us**

**My Lord, won't you please free us?**

The demon was used to the voices in the ink, the voices of those who were swallowed by the ink. Those who are inside the ink usually hear only their own voice, but as the ink demon, he could hear every ink creature's thoughts within the studio.

**I hope she'll be okay**

_'Henry, ya kid's gonna be fine,'_ the demon thought to himself, knowing the new toon couldn't hear him. The demon was nearing the young human, he could tell since a voice came from out of the ink.

"Now let's see, elevator controls…" the girl paused for a moment, "Seems like someone moved them elsewhere…and then aha the pipe system controls."

Bendy emerged, causing the controls to be covered by his inky webs rendering them temporarily useless. Cassidy panicked as she looked for a place to hide, only to find her cornered in the control room.

The melting Boris grabbed the girl by the arm, Cassidy struggled against the wolf's grasp, trying to find some way to free herself from the dripping hands of the toon.

"This…this was a trap!" Cassidy yelled, "You set this up didn't you!"

Bendy clapped his hands together slowly, "Ya catch on quickly sis."

The girl couldn't hear him, he already knew that, but she looked like she understood the gesture. The demon got right in her face, grinning as he got a closer look at the girl. She has the same bright green eyes as her father, something the demon couldn't tell since the girl was wearing glasses.

The demon could tell she was scared, though her face didn't show it. Instead, he could tell by the way the girl's body tensed up as the demon grabbed her by the waist. Cassidy kicked at the demon as he lifted her off the ground, splashing ink on the already inked walls.

_'The ink has barely even taken ahold of the gal, she must be as stubborn as her old man,'_ Bendy commented to himself, waiting for the girl to tire herself out.

It seemed like hours until the teen couldn't keep struggling against the demon's grasp. The girl was completely out of breath, making one more weak swing at Bendy before she tried to catch her breath. That was when he set the girl back down and let go of her.

Bendy remembered where Charley injured the girl, the wound had scarred in the matter of a few hours thanks to the healing granted by the small amount of ink in the girl's system. He reached his non-gloved handover and opened it, causing the girl to open her mouth to scream.

The demon flinched back, expecting a blood-curdling scream to come out. The girl could only manage to let out a small quite scream, the demon was relieved by that. The wound was now leaking crimson liquid, the demon needed to act quickly.

He reached his hand to the reopened injury, letting some of his ink drip into the wound before stepping back to let the rest do its work.

The wound healed faster than before with the addition of the demon's ink. Bendy had done this twice before, with Joey and Henry, though both had different side-effects. Henry was able to come back through the ink without it affecting him and Joey was given control over the studio.

After a few moments, the demon spoke, "Can ya hear me now?"

The girl flinched, staring at Bendy with a horrified look, "You…you can talk!"

If Bendy's eyes were not covered in ink he would be rolling them, "Course I can Lil sis, ya just couldn't hear me till now."

"Hold on a minute, you called me Lil sis…"

"Ya the creator's kid, the creator created me, that makes us…siblings, right?" Bendy asked, "I'm ya big brother…"

"I have a name you know," Cassidy spoke, "If you were put up to this by Joey then…"

"Ya hate that bastard, I hate him too," the demon said, "See we already have that in common."

Cassidy looked at Bendy confused, "If you hate Joey, then why are you keeping people trapped here?"

"Ya can't understand, Joey locked me up and then one by one the workers left," the demon explained, "Up there with people, ya won't understand loneliness."

She chuckled at that, "That's the thing about assuming, it makes an ass out of you and me."

"Are you laughing at me?"

"It's just, you think that by having people around makes me not alone," Cassidy commented sternly, "My dad was trapped down here, my sister and mother died, I never had…"

"Ya never had what?"

"I never had a friend, the only people that I could go to was my family," the teen paused before continuing, "Not Joey of course, I'd rather talk to myself about my problems than tell them to a man who has only said that I can't do anything."

"Joey called me soulless, what did he find wrong with ya?" the demon asked curiously.

Cassidy gestured to her head, "Joey believed that just because I have disabilities that I can't have a life of my own."

Bendy stared at the girl who talked about Joey like a monster, her voice rose as she spoke about the man that they both loathed for similar reasons.

"Guess ya had it just as tough, sorry for saying ya didn't understand," Bendy apologized.

The girl stared at the ink demon that she must have thought was going to kill her. Looking away quickly before saying, "I should be apologizing, I assumed you were a monster like Joey."

The two were quiet for a moment, the demon processed what he learned about the girl's relationship with Joey Drew. The girl's apology also caught him off guard, he wondered if Cassidy would stay willingly.

"So would ya and our old man stay here then?" the Devil Darlin asked gently.

"I can't stay, I promised to get dad out of here along with Boris," Cassidy said, "Perhaps instead, you can come with us?"

That was not expected, the demon hoped that she would agree to stay but not offer him a chance to escape. The offer sounded genuine, not like a trick to get the demon to open the exit only to be abandoned right afterward.

"Ya ain't 'messin with the dancing demon are ya there?" the demon asked the girl smiled, "Aye, Boris, ya hear that we're gonna get 'outta here!"

Boris made a gurgle as the inky shape made what Bendy know was a smile. They will need to stabilize the wolf so that he can get out of the ink.

The wolf made a grunt which Bendy responded to, "Dontcha worry buddy, I ain't leavin without ya!"

"The same here," Cassidy assured the wolf before remembering why she was there, "What am I supposed to do now, the elevator was going to lead us out."

Bendy pondered it for a moment, "Well, that elevator ain't gonna cut it. That false angel will use it ta kill ya the moment ya finish her chores."

"Is there any other way out of here?"

Boris grunted, "What is it, buddy?"

**THE LOWER FLOORS**

"That's right, ya are right bout that," Bendy exclaimed, "The lower floors have locked doors that might just lead to an exit!"

"We should let dad know," I said, "I'm sure if I talk to him he will listen."

Bendy nodded, "I will be close behind ya, the ink might bring in searchers or the Bucher Gang."

Cassidy walked through the ink slowly, so when Henry was in sight the man screamed her name.

"It's fine, he isn't really that bad once you get to know him a bit," Cassidy said, "Same with Boris."

Henry gave a confused look before turning to Bendy, "You better not be pulling any tricks!"

"Now, why would I do that Creator?" Bendy asked, "Ya kid and I just found somethings that we have in common."

They got in closer and sat down to explain the encounter before Henry looked at the demon with guilt in his eyes.

"I…I should have realized that Joey would assume things," Henry began to apologize.

Cassidy glared, "I would figure that since he is a womanizer, ableist, manipulating, selfish bastard if you would excuse my language."

The creator nodded before looking down at his own hands, "I hope you can forgive me for…you know."

"It ain't your fault, Joey set up a script that we were forced to follow," Bendy said, "If ya kid didn't glitch the main script then ya'll still be following it."

Henry stood up on his legs which would still wobble when he needed to balance, "Then let's save everyone this time!"


End file.
